A transgender girl’s experience: sexual exploitation and systems involvement
International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare
ISSN: 2056-4902
Article publication date: 16 March 2020
Issue publication date: 30 April 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The available research on specialized interventions for youth experiencing commercial sexual exploitation almost exclusively focuses on the impact and efficacy related to cisgender girls, despite the inclusion of youth who identify as transgender in these programs. This paper aims to present a case study on the experience of a transgender adolescent girl who experienced commercial sexual exploitation and provides a narrative of the multifarious challenges she faced while involved in institutional systems of care.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper conducted an in-depth case review of all records on “Jade,” a white adolescent transgender girl who experienced commercial sexual exploitation, from a specialty court program in the juvenile justice system between 2012 and 2016. Her experiences throughout childhood exemplify many of the unique challenges that transgender girls and young women with histories of exploitation or trafficking may encounter within service delivery and socioecological systems. This paper applied concepts adapted from the gender minority stress theoretical model to understand how minority gender identity can shape the experiences and outcomes of the youth impacted by commercial sexual exploitation.
Findings
Jade’s narrative underscores the interplay of gender-based sexual violence, heteronormative structural barriers, transphobia and their intersectional impact on her experience while receiving specialized care. The intersectional hardships she experienced likely contributed to adverse biopsychosocial outcomes, including high rates of medical and behavioral health diagnoses and expectations of further rejection.
Originality/value
This paper highlights the extraordinary challenges and barriers faced by an often under-recognized and overlooked subset of the youth impacted by commercial sexual exploitation, who may receive services that do not account for their unique needs related to gender expression and identity. This paper exemplifies how internalized stigma along with expectations of further rejection and victimization have implications for clinical and multidisciplinary intervention settings. Jade’s case underscores the need for improved access to supportive services for youth with minority gender identities, including peer community-building opportunities. Finally, this paper identifies a critical gap in US legislation and social policy. This gap contributes to the structural harms faced by transgender and gender-nonconforming youth receiving services during or following experiences of commercial sexual exploitation.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Authors thank Judge Catherine Pratt and the Los Angeles County STAR Court for their partnership. They also thank the participating youth, Michelle Guymon of the Los Angeles County Department of Probation Child Trafficking Unit, and Amber Davies of Saving Innocence. Funding: This study was conducted as part of an ongoing research project funded by: the National Institute on Drug Abuse; the Pritzker Foundation; the California Community Foundation; the Los Angeles County Department of Probation; and the Judicial Council of California.
Citation
Hammond, I., Godoy, S., Kelly, M. and Bath, E. (2018), "A transgender girl’s experience: sexual exploitation and systems involvement", International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare, Vol. 13 No. 2, pp. 185-196. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHRH-07-2019-0059
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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